The long-term consequences of child malnutrition for health and resilience to disease are well established. But this report presents new evidence which identifies the impact of malnutrition on educational outcomes
across a range of countries.

The report looks at early nutrition, cognitive development and education; the economic impact of malnutrition; and, interventions that make a difference. It argues that preventing malnutrition of children and women in the crucial 1,000-day window – from the start of a woman’s pregnancy until her child’s second birthday – could greatly increase children’s ability to learn and to earn.

This report calls on donors and governments in developing countries to make the commitments needed to tackle malnutrition. They should:

support and finance national plans to scale up nutrition

declare and meet interim impact targets by 2016 as part of the global goal to alleviate the burden of malnutrition in children by 2025

enhance nutrition-sensitivity of agriculture initiatives so food-based approaches can contribute more to improving nutritional status

ensure nutrition is a core part of the G8 Accountability Report

recognise the importance of nutrition for cognitive and educational development, and ensure that nutrition is integrated as a key component of early years’ programming, including in early childhood care and development programmes

integrate stimulation interventions into early years’ programmes, in order to mitigate the impacts of malnutrition on children’s cognitive development.

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